Executive Summary

Pine trees in the Rocky Mountains are being jeopardized
by beetle infestations, while new forests
are encroaching on the Alaskan tundra. East
coast beaches and marshes are succumbing to
rising seas, especially in places where development
prevents their natural migration landward.
Polar bears, seals, and walrus are struggling to
survive in a world of dwindling sea ice, which is
their required habitat. Birds and butterflies have
had to shift their breeding season and the timing
of their seasonal migrations. Fish are dying by the
thousands during intense and lengthy droughts
and heat waves. Many plant and wildlife species
are shifting their entire ranges to colder locales,
in many cases two- to three-times faster than scientists
anticipated.

Now is the time to confront the
causes of climate change.

Without significant new steps to reduce carbon
pollution, our planet will warm by 7 to 11 degrees
Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with devastating
consequences for wildlife. America must
be a leader in taking swift, significant action to
reduce pollution and restore the ability of farms,
forests, and other natural lands to absorb and
store carbon. This means rapidly deploying clean,
renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar,
geothermal and sustainable bioenergy, while curbing
the use of dirty energy reserves. And it means
reducing the carbon pollution from smokestacks
that is driving the climate change harming wildlife.

Because of the warming already underway and
the time it will take to transform our energy
systems, we will be unable to avoid many of the
impacts of climate change. Our approaches to
wildlife conservation and natural resource management
need to account for the new challenges
posed by climate change. We must embrace forward-
looking goals, take steps to make our ecosystems
more resilient, and ensure that species
are able to shift ranges in response to changing
conditions. At the same time, we need to protect
our communities from climate-fueled weather extremes
by making smarter development investments,
especially those that employ the natural
benefits of resilient ecosystems.

Only by confronting the climate
crisis can we sustain our
conservation legacy.

The challenges that climate change poses for
wildlife and people are daunting. Fortunately, we
know what’s causing these changes and we know
what needs to be done to chart a better course
for the future. As we begin to see whole ecosystems
transform before our very eyes, it is clear
that we have no time to waste.